Find Health and Medical expertise in Fiji

The Fijian government provides free health care to all citizens through its three area hospitals, three divisional hospitals, 76 health centres, 900 village clinics, 19 subdvisional health centres, 124 nursing stations and three specialty hospitals, including a psychiatric hospital. There is also a privately run hospital in Suva. Fiji has one pharmaceutical manufacturer, which runs a research and development facility for anticancer, steroid and retinoid medicines in the city of Nadi. All other medicines are imported and sold via one of Fiji’s pharmaceutical wholesalers. The Fiji Intellectual Property Office upholds patents.

The number of health centres, clinics and nursing stations across the islands means that basic medical treatment is accessible for most people. However, patients may need to travel to the larger urban centres for more comprehensive treatment. The Ministry of Health’s Strategic Plan for 2011–15 has three goals: providing adequate primary and preventive services; providing accessible clinical and rehabilitation services; and strengthening health systems. The WHO Country Co-operation Strategy for Fiji adds to this the need to develop and implement plans to prevent communicable diseases, such as STIs, HIV and TB, and meet targets for vaccination programmes. Another priority identified in the strategy is strengthening maternal, adolescent and child health programmes.

Government expenditure

Only about a third of health care in Fiji (35%) was paid for by patients or funded by other non-governmental entities – such as private insurers, charities or employers – in 2012. Total health expenditure constituted 4% of GDP in 2012, of which 65% was covered by the government.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for an estimated 80% majority of all mortality in Fiji in 2012. In 2012 the most prevalent NCDs were cardiovascular diseases (35%). Diabetes, cancer and non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases contributed 16%, 11% and 5% to total mortality, respectively (2012). Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions accounted for an estimated 12% of all mortality in Fiji in 2012. In 2012 Fiji’s HIV prevalence stood at 0.1%; the figure has remained roughly at this level in the period 1990–2012. The country is free from malaria. Estimated incidence of tuberculosis (TB) fell by roughly a quarter in the period 1990–2013, but estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) has increased significantly in that time.

In 2013 government expenditure on health was 3% of GDP. In the most recent survey, conducted between 1997 and 2010, there were 43 doctors, and 224 nurses and midwives per 100,000 people. Additionally, in the period 2007–10, 100% of births were attended by qualified health staff and, in 2013, 94% of one-year-olds were immunised with one dose of measles. In 2014, 96% of the population had access to an improved water source and 91% were using adequate sanitation facilities. The most recent survey, conducted in the period 2000–11, reported that Fiji has nine pharmaceutical personnel per 100,000 people.

Fijian culture is particularly geared towards care of the elderly, with in-house and in-community care provided by family, extended family and neighbours being the norm for older people. There are also three government-owned senior citizens homes and three private ones.

Fiji is not a signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the covenant that commits signees to the ensuring ‘the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health’.